A cross-sectional phenomenological exploration of the experience of volunteers at a Durban-based NPO

Abstract

In South Africa (SA), Mental Health (MH) services are under-resourced and over-burdened, therefore much of the MH service provision is provided by voluntary Non-Profit Organisations (NPOs) who are reliant on volunteers. However volunteer retention is a frequent problem. Little information has been gathered regarding the experience of MH NPO volunteers. Therefore, improvements are unable to be made and acquiring and retaining volunteers remains a weak point. Without an adequate number of volunteers, NPO’s will be insufficient and unable to assist SA’s MH sector. This research attempts to aid in this issue by qualitatively exploring the lived experience of volunteering for a MH NPO, providing more insight into volunteer’s experiences. Such was explored using online semi-structured interviews with 5 volunteers from a particular Durban-based MH NPO. Descriptive phenomenological analysis, was used to analyse the data. Various themes were found pertaining to the volunteer experience including the benefits of supportive leadership, issues related to student centrism, and the learning experience that volunteering provides. The research findings will enlighten NPOs to some volunteer’s experience, providing information that can be used to make adjustments and improvement to NPOs, and potentially benefit the retention of volunteers.